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I'm new to wet sanding. Started out on my cars factory black paint because it looked terrible so wet sanding was my last resort before deciding to have it repainted. The main problem that led me to wet sanding where tiny bumps in the paint I've done sanded the rear bumper with 2500 grit and polished it out with the burgandy solo wool pad and diamond cut compound on a rotary. It's looking very good right now has alot more gloss than befor. If you look very very close in the light you can see a very slight sanding pattern (not scratches) in the gloss. Just wondering if this is normaly visible on wet sanded finishes. I did some testing on my old honda but I could never bring out the sanding pattern even with M105 ultra cut. Again it's not very visible if not at all just curious. Also need help on techniques by hand to get thoughs hard to buff areas, I've tried by hand but is not effective as using a rotary with a wool pad.
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Re: Newbie on wet sanding
If you are still seeing sand marks in the paint , you need to buff it some more . Sanding with 2500 as you said should be fairly easy to remove with a buffer . As a general rule with wet sanding , only do the area you can use a buffer on . Also stay away from edges , and use a sanding block . If use use your hand , you will leave rake marks from your fingers . Not a even or flat cut , like a sanding block will do . -
Re: Newbie on wet sanding
David, I responded to this question you started in another earlier thread.
It's best to leave the question in just one thread, keeps the forum tidy.Comment
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Re: Newbie on wet sanding
Sorry I figured I'd get more help posting it in detailing 101.Originally posted by Selectchoice View PostComment
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Re: Newbie on wet sanding
You may want to finish off with 3000 grit before compounding. That's what I have done on the few spots I have wet sanded and I haven't had any issues with marks. Just be careful with how much you remove, but, then again it sounds like this is a practice car anyway
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Re: Newbie on wet sanding
Im getting frustrated with these hard to reach spots. I've tried buffing it out with M105 and a foam aplicator by hand and only manages to bring the shine out. With all the curves on the bumper it gets really difficult. I've ordered some 4" pads for my G110v hopfully they will help me out.Comment
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Re: Newbie on wet sanding
Came across this detailing service web site wich is currently retired now http://www.glossycar.com/ Scroll down and read through what they say about wet sanding on factory paint. Just wanted to know it there is some truth to it.Comment
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Re: Newbie on wet sanding
What paper did you use to sand with, and were you keeping the surface very wet and flushing out the paper regularly? Less expensive papers tend to use abrasive particles that aren't terribly uniform in grit but average out to whatever the paper is rated at. Higher grades of paper (and therefore more expensive) like our UnitGrit papers and discs have very uniformly sized abrasive particles so the finish is more uniform with less deeper areas to compound out. It should also be noted that hand sanding as opposed to DA sanding tends to actually be more aggressive as your hand usually moves more slowly, therefore allowing the abrasives to cut deeper.
As for the comments on the site you linked to, David, if you're referring to the part about only being able to wet sand factory paint one time, yep, that's pretty much the case. Factory clear coat is, on average, only about 2 mils thick (2/1000 of an inch) and virtually all manufacturers will tell you that if you remove more than 0.5 mil that the vehicle will need to be repainted. If memory serves, Ford has started saying that 0.3 mil is the max removal before refinishing is required. Wet sanding and rotary compounding can take off significant amounts of paint, and pretty quickly at that.Michael Stoops
Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.
Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.
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Re: Newbie on wet sanding
I've only wet sanded the bumpers due to the tiny bumps in the paint, using 2500 3M sandpaper right now it looks good but theres no telling whats gonna happen to the paint a few months from now. I have some orange peel on the rear quarter panel of my car but I would like that mirror like finish as oposed to the blury reflection it has. On the website they said that if the lowest part of the orange peel (on factory paint) is enought to protect the base coat, then sanding no further than that point would leave enough clear to still protect the base. if you go back to the site theres and illustration of the layers of paint. I'd post it my self but Having a tough time doing so on this forum.Comment
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Re: Newbie on wet sanding
Well, in theory it sounds good that you've got enough clear left if you only sand to the bottom of the low points of the orange peel. In theory. The reality is that unless you are highly skilled at this, you risk very quickly going much deeper than that, and then you have to compound out your sanding marks. And then you're left with the very real situation of never being able to do any sort of deep correction on the vehicle again. What if you get a scratch that you can barely feel? Forget about removing that now because you've already cut the paint as deep as you can go. And that scratch is going to be even more visible if the paint is totally devoid of texture. And in reality, taking factory paint down to mirror flat is not a good idea at all as the texture is often deep enough that you'll remove in excess of that 0.5 mils to get there.
Yes, we'd all love the look of a custom paint job on our cars, but the reality is it's just not usually a safe thing to do, especially for a novice.Michael Stoops
Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.
Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.
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Re: Newbie on wet sanding
mr. mike has some very wise advise. factory clearcoat on most cars has some level of OP. you may also find the clearcoat a lot thinner on the hood, roof and decklid. color sanding factory clear takes a LOT of patience and time.
technique and sandpaper used, as mike mentioned, are very important. i soak my sandpaper( megs unigrit is awesome paper) for at least 30 minutes prior to starting. during that time, i tape off all body lines and edges along doors, hood, trunk, etc. those are the areas prone to breaking through clear.on factory clear, i start with 2000 grit and if that isnt getting the job done, drop down to 1500. its easier to drop down to a rougher grit than to reclear a panel due to breaking through the clear. i always use some form of sanding block. gotta listen to the sandpaper. its easy to pick up a piece of grit that will add deeper scratches and it can be heard. i like to rinse of my paper and blocks very often, squeegee off the surface often to see my progress, and keep my sanding in a straight line in one direction for the whole vehicle. when i step up to a finer grit, i switch sanding directions, going on a diagonal to the previous pass. keep the sandpaper rinsed off and squeegee off the surface to check progress often. i'm just lookin to remove the scratches from the previous grit. 2500 grit has been more than good enough for me. been able to bring that back up with the twins every time and no scratches after.
but, as stated, it is very easy to break through factory clear!Comment
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